Pencil-vending machine



Jan. 28, 1930. H. w. WHITE 1,745,286

PENC IL VENDING MACHINE Filed June 21, 1927 2 Shets-Sheet 1 H. W. WHITE PENCIL VENDING MACHINE "Jan. 28, 1930.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/III]! Filed June 21, 1927 Patented Jan. 28, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PENCIL-VENDING MACHINE Application filed June 21,

My invention relates to an automatic pencil vending device.

It is an object of my invention to provide a device for holding pencils and the like which is adapted to deliver a pencil only on the insertion of a coin of the proper size, and which can deliver but one pencil for each coin.

It is also an object to provide means for feeding the pencils to the delivering apparatus which will assure the uniform delivery of pencils each time the device is operated.

I desire to provide a neat-appearing compact device, the mechanism of which is light and simple in construction and not liable to break or fail in use.

Referring to the drawings herewith Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of the housing with my mechanism installed therein, the rear plate of the device being removed. Fig. 2 is a vertical section approximately on the plane 2--2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar section on plane 3-3 of Fig. 1. Like numerals of reference are employed to designate like parts in all the views.

The mechanism constituting my invention is housed Within a box like casing, having a front wall 1, a rear wall 2, and opposite side walls 3 and 3. The upper end of the casing is rounded at l on its forward side, and the plate constituting the upper end and a portion of the front wall, shown at 5, is removable toconstitute the door by means of which access to the interior of the casing may be had. This door is connected with a lug 6 on the plate 2, a tongue 7 upon the door being engaged therewith. On the lower end of the cover or door member is a lock 8, having a key operated bolt 7 engaged behind the front wall 1, and acting to lock the door in place in such manner that it can be removed only with the use of the key.

The interior of the casing is divided into a large chamber 9 for the storing and release of the pencils and a smaller chamber 10 for the housing of the coin controlled mechanism, and for the receipt of the coins by means of which the pencils are released. The larger chamber 9 has a forward frame made up of two upright rods or plates 12 and 13, connected adjacent to their upper ends by cross 1927. Serial No. 200,361.

member 14, and connected at their lower ends by cross member 15. The lower cross member 15 has a central plate 16, with a slot 17 therein to receive a bolt or pin 18 to guide the frame. A similar bolt 19 on the forward end of the cross member 14- projects through a slot 20 in the front wall 1 of the casing, and has thereon a handle 21, by means of which the frame may be raised and lowered. The slot 20 also serves as a guide for the movement of the frame. The two upright parts 12 and 13 of the frame are spaced apart so as to form a retainer, shown at 22 in Fig. 3 forthe forward sides of the pencils 23 within the casing.

The pencils are placed in the upper portion of the chamber 9 and rest upon a track made up of two inclined plates 24 and 25 shaped to form a downwardly inclined support at their upper ends leading to a point spaced from the plate 22 a sufficient distance to provide a slideway 25 of the proper width to loosely receive the pencils 23 as indicated in Fig. 3. At the lower end of the slideway 26 the plates 24: and 25 are inclined forwardly at 27 to direct the pencils into a recess 27 in the plates 12 and 13 so that when the frame is pushed downwardly by means of the handle 21 the pencil within the recess 27 may be released below the curved portion 26 of the slideway, and diverted by an inclined bafile 88 to fall into the inclined chamber 28 within reach of the operator. An opening 29 in the forward wall of the chamber allows ac cess to the pencil thus delivered. The lower ends of the plates 24 and 25 are secured at 30 to the front wall 1 of the casing at the lower end thereof.

The frame, including the uprights 12 and 13, is held in its upper position by means of a spring 31 which is secured to the forward Wall 1 of the casing 32, and its lower end is secured to a plate 33 extending inwardly from the upright 12 of the frame.

To prevent the downward movement of the frame to release a pencil I have provided a plate 34, mounted on a forward side of the frame 1 1. This plate has on one side thereof an arm 35, rounded to engage within the forked end 36 of a lever 37. Said lever is we pivoted at 38 to the wall 1, and extends through a slot 39 in the partition wall 40, which divides the two chambers. The end of the lever within the chamber 10 has a finger 41 engaged beneath the pin 42 upon a sliding arm 43.

The arm 43 is slidable within the chamber 10, and has a lower hooked end 44 which is adapted to engage a shoulder 45 upon a plate 46 on the front wall of the casing. This plate is spaced from the casing to provide between it and the wall 1 of the casin a slot within which a coin may slide. he lower end of the arm 43 has a laterally extending finger 48 thereon of less thickness than the body of the plate 43 so as to fit beneath the plate 46. This finger is rounded on its upper side to direct the coin away from the arm 43, and beneath the shoulder 51 on the inner side of the plate 46. The forward wall of the casing has an opening 49 at the upper end of the coin slot so that a coin may be inserted to slide downwardly of the slot 50 previously mentioned, and such coin will be diverted by the finger 48 into a position beneath the shoulder 51. It will now be noted that when the lever 37 is depressed by the handle 21 the upward movement of the arm 43 will ordinarily engage the hooked end 44 thereof against the shoulder 45, but when a coin is inserted said coin will take the position shown at 52 in Fig. 1, and will act to throw the lower end of the arm 43 to the left, so that the hook end 44 may pass the shoulder 45 and allow the further downward movement of the handle. When the arm 43 has been elevated sufficiently the coin will drop through into the lower end 53 of the chamber 10.

When the frame 14 is depressed by means of the handle 21 in the manner described, it is necessary that means he provided to assure that the frame be depressed for its full extent sufficient to discharge a pencil before it is again released and drawn upwardly. In this way any one placing a nickel or other coin in the slot will be assured that a pencil will be released after the coin has been inserted. To accomplish this I provide a rotatable disc 55 mounted on the inner side of the wall 1 at a point below and to one side of the handle. This disc is rotatable upon a pivot in said wall, and has a short wrist pin 56 thereon adjacent to one side. Said wrist pin is connected by means of a link 57 to the pin 58 in the frame member 14. The wrist pin 36 is slightly to one side of the vertical diameter of the disc, so that when it is moved downwardly it will rotate the disc in a clock-wise direction. Said disc has a series of teeth 59 thereon at one side, and a pawl 60 is mounted adjacent the disc to fit within the space between the teeth 59. Said pawl is pivotally mounted at 61 on the front wall of the casing, and has a weight arm 62 at one side of the pivotal point tending to hold the pawl into contact with the disc. In combination with this mechanism I employ a lever arm 63 pivoted upon the wall of the casing and having an upper arm provided with a slot 64 to receive the wrist pin 56 upon the disc. The lower end of the lever is connected to the spring 66 mounted at 67 upon the wall of the casing. Thus, when the frame 14 is depressed it will not release the coin until the disk 55 has been rotated sutliciently to bring the pawl 60 into engagement with the teeth 59 on the disc. After the coin has been thus released the frame cannot be drawn upwardly so as to fail in releasing the pencil until the disc has been further rotated by the downward movement of the frame to carry the teeth upon the disc past the pawl 60 after which the action of the spring 66 upon the lever 63 will tend to throw the disc past center thereby making a complete revolution into its original position, and this movement will discharge the pencil.

As may be understood from Fig. 3 the pencils in the magazine or chamber 9 may collect in the bottom of the chamber so as to bridge over the upper end of the slideway 26, thus preventing the pencils from moving downwardly. To avoid their collection in this manner, I provide a pair of kicker plates 68, spaced apart upon a rod 69 journaled at its ends within the uprights 24 and 25. The shaft 69 has at one end thereof a crank arm 70, the outer end of which is provided with an opening in. which is engaged a rod 71, extending upwardly and laterally to pass through an opening 72 in the parti tion 40 to engage within the end of a rocking arm 73. Said arm is pivoted between its ends upon the partition 40, and is connected at its forward end with a link 7 4, extending upwardly and fixed within an opening in the lever arm of 37. The kicker plates have their upper ends rounded at 75 to engage with the pencils. They project beyond the track way 24 and 25, and are limited in their forward movement by means of the cross pin 76, which is adapted to engage with the rearward side of the members 24 and 25, as shown in Fig. 3. The kicker plates are held in their forward position by means of the spring 78, connected at its lower end 79 with the floor of the casing, and at its upper end to an arm 80, extending downwardly from the shaft 69.

Thus, when the lever arm 37 is operated by the downward movement of the handle 21, the kicker plates will be moved rearwardly, and then released to be thrown forwardly by the spring 78, and will thus strike against the pencils, tending to agitate them and break up any bridge, which the pencils may have made across the upper end of the slideway 25.

ltitl In the chamber 53 at the lower end of the coin chute I have provided an opening indicated at 81 in Fig. 2, where the coins may be removed. This opening is locked under ordinary circumstances by a plate 82 secured at the lower end of a post 83. Said post extends upwardly in the chamber 10, and projects through a plate 84, transversely across said chamber and is locked in position with in the slot 85 therein by means of lock nuts 86. The plate 82 may thus be released and removed when the cover is unlocked from the casing.

The vending machine thus provided is simple in its construction, and is not liable to get out of order in operation. The kicker plates which are operated at each time the handle is depressed assure that the slideway 26 will be kept filled with pencils. It will be noted that there are a plurality of pencils in the slideway at all times, and if the kicker plates should fail to break up the bridge across the upper end thereof, at one depression of the lever it is certain to break up any such bridge before the slideway 26 is emptied.

Another feature of value lies in the simple arrangement whereby the frame 12 and 13, causing the release of the pencils from the device must in all cases be depressed a sufficient distance to release the pencil after the coin has been inserted before the handle will again return to its original position. It will be noted also that the coin control mechanism is simple and reliable in its operation. The further advantages of the device will be obvious to those skilled in the art, without further description.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a pencil vending machine, a casing, a frame slidably mounted therein, a magazine for pencils to the rear of said frame, a trackway for pencils inclined downwardly toward said frame, said frame having pencilreceiving recesses adjacent said trackway, kicker plates pivotally mounted on said trackway, said frame being adapted to be moved downwardly to release a pencil, and the upper ends of said kicker plates being rounded and projecting into said magazine, means operated by the sliding of said frame to move said plates from said magazine and a spring to force said plates back into said magazine against said pencils.

2. In a pencil vending machine, a casing, a frame slidable vertically therein, said frame having pencil receiving recesses therein, means to feed pencils thereto, a toothed disc on said casing, a wrist pin thereon, a link connecting said frame and said wrist pin, a pawl adapted to engage the teeth on said disc, said disc being rotatable through said link when said frame is depressed to release a pencil, said pawl acting to prevent reverse rotation of said disc, whereby the full downward movement of said frame is assured, to rotate said disc back to normal position.

3. In a pencil vending machine, a casing, a frame slidable vertically therein, said frame having pencil receiving recesses therein, means to feed pencils thereto, a toothed disc on said casing, a wrist pin thereon, a

link connecting said frame and said wrist pin, a pawl adapted to engage the teeth on said disc, said disc being rotatable through said link when said frame is depressed to re lease a pencil, said pawl acting to prevent reverse rotation of said disc, a rocker arm having a slot therein engaging said wrist pin and resilient means tending to hold said rocker arm and disc in normal position, whereby the full downward movement of said frame is assured, to rotat said disc back to normal position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature this 17th day of June A. D., 1927. HENRY W. WHITE. 

